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What is Faux Sheepskin?

3rd October 2017

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We’ve been making real sheepskin and shearling jackets for over sixty years! And indeed we’re still one of the biggest retailers of sheepskin coats in the UK. But, real, beautiful, unadulterated sheepskin comes with the price tag. These products will last you a lifetime. However, for those who aren't looking for a lifetime investment, or who simply want this season's styles at the best possible prices; faux sheepskin is the answer. But, what is faux sheepskin?

What makes Lakeland Faux Sheepskin so real?

We're embracing our specialist knowledge and skill of making real shearling jackets to introduce beautiful and luxurious faux sheepskin into our range of jackets. These aren’t any old faux sheepskin pieces! There’s no itchy, static-inducing polyester in our garments, that just isn’t the way we work. We stand for quality products, so when it comes to making faux sheepskin we have held true to our principles.

What is faux sheepskin fabric made from?

Most faux fabrics are made of cheap polyesters, which are synthetic materials created using petrochemicals. Basically, it's a form of plastic. Our faux is different. We use high grade acrylic and modacrylics, which are a polymer (that’s science for ‘mix’!) of ingredient such as cotton, linen and other plant fibres. Don’t get us wrong. There's a place for polyester, but in our eyes it’s a supporting act, not the main event.

Real sheepskin experts know what to copy

David, our Product Sourcing Director, has applied his lifelong knowledge of real sheepskin to create our unbelievably realistic faux sheepskin. He chose a form of acrylic wool that has exceptional recovery properties. If you press it, it reforms, just like the real thing.

David explains "many faux fabrics are cheaply made using high polyester content, synthetic material. This loses its shape in a short period of time. I wanted to use fibres that closely resemble the real hair found on sheep - capable of rebounding after being pressed. This means our faux sheepskin keeps its deep luxurious feel, even after washing."

Hand cut, just like real sheepskin

We hand-cut our real sheepskin coats. It takes longer, but it's worth it as you can spread the fibres along the seams to avoid hacking the hairs. We hand-cut our faux sheepskin too. This means the 'wool' doesn't get chomped, squashed and gives a clean finish. If you hold a faux sheepskin jacket, take a look at the edges and you'll see the difference.

To bond or not to bond?

When you wear a coat the last thing on your mind is whether the fabric is bonded or not. But for us here at Lakeland, it's a big decision, and again it's down to our principle of quality. For our faux sheepskin range we've elected not to bond the outer fabric to the inner-lining. This may mean very little to you, but trust us, it makes a big difference to the way the coat feels when you wear it. It also allows the fabric to drape more naturally, like the real thing, A small (and technical point) but an important difference.

Heroic hardware

You may have already got the gist, but we stand for quality here at Lakeland Leather. Our no-nonsense approach to zips and fastenings means you don’t need to worry about your zip snagging. Quite simply, we only use genuine high quality hardware, such as those made by YKK and SAB.

Machine washable

What is faux sheepskin, if it isn't practical? But we wanted to go further. We have gone out of our way to develop products that are stylish, affordable and practical. All our faux sheepskin is machine washable. There's not much more we can say about that.

What does faux sheepskin mean?

In the same way as we only use the softest, premium leather in our leather jackets, we apply the same thinking to our other products. It's not enough to ask what is faux sheepskin, but what makes our faux sheepskin so good?

We have taken a specially developed modern fabric and applied our 60 years' experience in its production. We've made our faux look, feel and behave as similar to natural sheepskin as possible. Don't worry, we've not abandoned our roots. We've adapted our skills to bring you something special, just like Jack did all those years ago.